The Verbytsky Case: The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Confirms the Status of the Investigation into the Illegal Enrichment of a Former Official
In response to a request from UA.NEWS, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) officially confirmed that NABU detectives are continuing their pre-trial investigation into the case of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
Key Points
The SAP and NABU are actively investigating allegations of possible illicit enrichment involving former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi. This is stated in the anti-corruption agency’s official response to a journalistic inquiry from the UA.NEWS editorial team. Criminal case No. 52024000000000231, opened on May 13, 2024, is currently in the pre-trial investigation stage under the procedural supervision of prosecutors from the Fifth Department of the SAP.
The Nature of the Conflict and Details
Despite officially confirming the status of the case, the SAPO refused to disclose details regarding the searches conducted, the assets seized, or the charges filed. Prosecutors cite Article 222 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine (confidentiality of the investigation), asserting that disclosing any information at this stage “could harm the pre-trial investigation.”
This stance by law enforcement indicates that the case has not been “shelved” but is in the evidence-gathering phase, despite Verbytsky’s dismissal from office, which occurred following a series of media exposés about his lifestyle.
Background
As a reminder, Dmytro Verbytsky became embroiled in a high-profile scandal in the summer of 2024 after investigative journalists uncovered assets in his inner circle (including luxury real estate in the “Konik” residential complex), whose value far exceeded the prosecutor’s official income. Under public pressure and following the opening of a case by NABU, Verbytsky was forced to resign.
The Editorial Board’s Position and “Lost” Requests
The UA.NEWS editorial team notes that the SAP denied receiving a previous inquiry from March 2025. At the same time, a substantive response was received only after repeated requests, including through the Office of the Prosecutor General, which may indicate the special significance of this case for the law enforcement system.
Unanswered questions
UA.NEWS continues to monitor the progress of the investigation. The following questions remain unanswered: Has the property mentioned in the journalistic investigations been seized? Have individuals associated with Verbytskyi been questioned? Why, after two years of investigation, has the case still not been referred to court?
As a reminder, former prosecutor Dmytro Verbytskyi lost his court case seeking to overturn the NACP’s finding; despite this, the finding regarding the 37.5 million hryvnias obtained illegally remains in effect.
It was recently reported that former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who resigned amid scandal following investigations into illicit enrichment, has officially launched his political career. The Odesa regional branch of the “Batkivshchyna” All-Ukrainian Union, in response to a request from UA.News, confirmed that Verbytskyi is already a member of Yulia Tymoshenko’s party.
A dissertation against corruption and renting from a friend: the controversial Dmytro Verbytskyi explains how he is evading mobilization and court proceedings
Instead of facing trial, the controversial former official is now calmly sipping coffee and building a political career, complaining to investigative journalists’ cameras: “I don’t live a lavish life, but I don’t live poorly either.” What’s more, it turns out that his luxurious home in the capital is simply an act of incredible friendly generosity. Commenting on the pittance-like rent for a house in an elite cottage community, Verbytskyy looks journalists straight in the eye and assures them: “I’m renting it from a friend. Well, this isn’t a perk; these are average market rates for renting houses, uh, in this region. And this has been verified, uh, by NAZK officials.”
While the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) seem to be trying to find their way to court for the third year in a row, the former law enforcement official has found a foolproof way to dodge mobilization—he’s become a graduate student and is working on his dissertation. The topic of this academic work by a man with millions in unexplained assets is simply mockingly perfect: “anti-corruption legislation.” Asserting that “I’ve been studying my whole life,” the former prosecutor—who is practically a professor already—has already outlined his plans for the future: “I want to continue working at a university and pass on my knowledge.” And there’s certainly plenty to pass on—for example, a unique scheme for officially earning about $2,000 at the prosecutor’s office while receiving “birthday gifts” from relatives.
“Well, they helped out—they gave me gifts for my birthday, and that was my savings… Well, my mother could have given me $5,000,” the future luminary of science declares without a hint of embarrassment.
When the conversation turns to the origin of his family’s wealth, the classic, rock-solid legend of Ukrainian bureaucracy about wealthy relatives comes into play.
“My father was a captain on a long-haul ship. I think you understand how much a long-haul ship captain earns. Well, starting at $10,000 a month,” Verbytsky boasts. But for some reason, he refused to brag about his new Audi SQ8 worth 100 thousand greenbacks on camera, instantly switching to a tone of aggressive defense:
“Look, this car is registered in my name. You can look it up online. If you want, I’ll come to your studio, I’ll give you an interview, I’ll show you the documents. Show me the questions you want to ask. I’ll answer them. I’ll show you the documents. Conduct the interview objectively. I don’t like provocations like the one you’re pulling right now.” Verbytskyi now plans to scale up all this “anti-corruption” success in the world of big-time politics—he has taken the helm of the district branch of Yulia Tymoshenko’s party. However, even here the logic has gone out the window, because, in the words of the newly minted party member himself: “As of today, whether to go into politics or not—I’m not, let’s say, fully ready to go into politics yet. I am currently a party member and serve as the head of the branch in the Khadzhibeyevsky District. No, I do not sponsor the party.”
Under what exact conditions “Batkivshchyna” took in such a toxic figure remains an open question. For now, Dmytro Anatoliyovych feels so confident and immune from consequences that, instead of sitting in the dock, he’s attacking law enforcement officials himself: “I am currently in a legal battle with the NACP, since the NACP clearly stated in a publication that they had uncovered illegal enrichment on my part, that they had identified the elements of a crime, and that all of this was acquired on my instructions.”
The former prosecutor actively flaunts his legal battles on Facebook, personally racking up hundreds of reposts under his own posts to create the illusion of support. However, the public does not find this amusing at all, because behind the facade of these absurd justifications and partisan manipulations, a sad reality is clearly evident: the Verbytsky case may simply be deliberately and artificially stalled behind the scenes by anti-corruption agencies.
Additionally, UA.NEWS received a response from the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine to its inquiry to the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) regarding the application of enhanced financial monitoring to former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi as a “politically exposed person” (PEP).
